I am writing from Mesa Arizona. Mike Raburn, Bob Haywood and I have been traveling, looking at churches, and talking about growth, multiple sites and communication with some of the leaders of these churches.
We attended the Leadership Summitt in Irvine California onThursday and Friday. Great conference on leadership. One thing that I believe the church ( universal) needs to do more of is to encourage its leaders ( paid and unpaid) to spend more time honing the leadership gift. Romans 12 tells us that if we have the gift of leadership we should lead with all dilligence. As it is with any other gift, leadership has to be developed. It has to be crafted. It has to be shaped. Some of that happens through the experience of leadership. But it also happens through study and exposure. Exposure to other "top shelf" leaders really does make an impact. So conferences like this really help me get away and look at my leadership.
I believe that if FCC is going to push through some of the "lids" of growth that we have ( attendance, facilities, etc) it is going to take great leadership. Not just from me, but from Staff, Elders, Ministry leaders, small group leaders, sunday school teachers, and more. Everyone is both a follower and a leader. All of us should be leading someone in our lives. All of us who call First Christian Church our family must have a common vision to reach the thousands of people in Owasso who do not know Christ...It is a matter of eternal life and death.
Conference speakers like Bill Hybels, Patrick Lencioni, Jim Collins are great for me. They stimulate my thinking... They give me hope that my leadership can make a difference for the Kingdom, for the local church and for my family.
What made it even better was sharing the experience with Mike and Bob. Both are great friends that have the love of God and his church at the center of their hearts. And they are fun.
This weekend, we flew back through Phoenix and visited three churches.
Christ Church of the Valley is the second largest Christian Church in the US. Average attendance is about 10,000 people every weekend. Believe it or not, their pastor has been on a 12 week sabbatical and he was back for the first time this weekend. . Their people were so warm in their reception of him. And I thought about my return. I know that it will be an emotional moment for me and our church. I thank God that I am able to say that I am coming back soon. The church service was great...I felt like they do things alot like we do. And I love our worship ministry and Tim.... I did not see anyone on this trip that leads to the level that Tim leads us. We are so fortunate to have him.
Central Christian Church of Mesa is a 4000 member church that has transitioned from an ingrown church to a church that is reaching out. It has been a challenging transition for them... and one that they are not done with. As you know we have made a great effort to talk about Invest, Invite and Include. The Church has done a great job with this but we are just beginning some of that transition. Tomorrow we will be spend some time with their executive staff talking about that transition, and thier plan to have two campuses. I think we have alot to learn from their experiences
Chandler Christian Church of Chandler is a church much like ours. They have about 2500 people each week, in 4 services. Thier worship style is much like ours. Roger Storms is the Pastor ( former associate at East Tulsa Christian Church). He is a good teacher and a great leader. They too are working on a second site, as well as pushing through growth goals. We meet with them tomorrow as well. I am anxious to talk with Roger, because he is closest to the growth levels that we are at. They know what it takes to get through 1000 and on to 1500, and growing into a regional church that impacts the community and beyond.
With all that said... I am ready to be home. This is the last trip that I will take. I am going to be around a bit more in the church, coming to the office a little more, and beginning to ease back into church life. I will be meeting this week with the Elders to define the scope of my return...
I am so thankful for the experience of the Sabbatical. I have learned so much. I have made some significant lifestyle changes. I have prayed and sought God for wisdom as to what my ministry will look like in the future. But now, some four months later, I am ready to get back to the people I love,a nd back into a routine. That routine will look different than it has in the past, but I pray that it will allow me to be more effective in impacting the world around me. I want to make a difference... a real difference. I know that this comes through devotion to Christ and the call that he has on my life.
It will be so good to be home....
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